Posts Tagged ‘cool’

Some years ago when I went to a store to buy a pair of blue jeans, size 34 and with a bit of stretchy fabric around the waist – and found that the waif-thin lady at the counter was appalled. What size did you say again, her eyes seemed to say as her lips curled into a sneer at the very idea of elastic bands on any part of a garment. I left the store with two decisions: to begin a fitness routine and to fight for my right to real fashion.

I did neither, of course, as time and work took its toll on me. But I was delighted to discover some months ago, when I went back to the same store and found that things had changed. A warm and lovely salesgirl now offered to show me a number of jeans in a spectrum of sizes and styles and beautiful, stretchy fabric everywhere. “The idea is to keep you comfortable,” she said and left me to make my choice, among sizes that ranged from S, M, L. XL, XXL and XXXL. Wow!

So, when I read recently about visionary fashion designers and stylists celebrating age, and employing models who are aged anywhere between 60 to 84 on the runways to show how cool older people can be, I was delighted. Fashion was finally embracing age, size and height and what a revolution it is turning out to be. Everyone has figured out, that men and women want to look good, no matter what their age, size or weight may be. Of course, there is a business angle to these developments because the report also mentions that fashion retailers have realized that people over 65 spend the most on fashion and are often the healthiest besides being the wealthiest.

The trend is trickling down across the world and through our country too. Several designers and stores now create clothes in all sizes and right from T-shirts, tops, dresses, fitness wear, trousers and shoes, there is a world of newly sized garments for the Indian woman.

So I am a happy shopper now, no longer looking for a tailor to customise the clothes that I have bought and no longer worried what the sales lady will think of the sizes I buy. What a long way we have come!

Beauty tip:

Get highlights in your hair this season as the bright sunlight of our hot summer mornings reflects off the colours and makes your face radiant too. Don’t be scared to experiment. I chose a mix of copper and bronze and my friend chose silver blond highlights and we were both right!

The last time I looked at my shopping patterns, I realized that I had spent far too little on clothes and far too much on skin care. A quick peep into my friends ‘shopping lists showed the same. Many of us had just stopped buying clothes regularly. There were the many pairs of shoes, the odd trinket or two, a spot of fine jewellery, a roomy handbag, but buying clothes every now and then? Not much.

This would therefore be on top on my list of the style mistakes we make as women and one that we should change this year. We assume, and wrongly so, that our clothes will pass muster if our accessories are right. We think that radiant skin will make up for an ill fitting blouse. We think brown lipstick will go with everything and therefore need not be updated. The wrong bra is fine — after all it is under the clothes. A baggy top will hide all weight issues. And so on.

If I were to compile a list of style mistakes,here’s where I would begin. Buy clothes more often, no matter how tempting skin care and cosmetics look. This would mean taking the effort to go to the boutiques, searching out interesting items of clothing and learning to wear them well. This could mean that you need to do some research too, as in checking out fashion blogs and magazines.

What a waste of time, you say! Well, I would have agreed some time ago, but the new enlightened me has just noticed that you cannot buy clothes off a rack anymore for a polished look. You need to wear clothes with structure and construction. It is important to wear the right fits and visit the tailor if you need a nip here or a tuck there. I know how comfortable an old pair of jeans can be. But a new pair of well fitting jeans can make transform your entire look. And updating your lingerie wardrobe is mandatory too!

Fashion wise, this is the year of brights (think radiant colours like greens and luxurious blues), whites (teamed with black or worn as in all its stark purity) and stripes (like striped skinny trousers), but don’t go overboard and buy a whole wardrobe of these styles. Add them discreetly to your look, like a vibrant scarf or a striped blouse and start there. The idea is not to look like you stepped out of Vogue, but to make people think you might have.

Get Khadi cool:

I am a huge fan of Indian fabrics and every year, I find myself delighted at the kind of fabrics our local designers work with. This summer, I checked out the hugely talented Deepika Govind’s Khadi collection and as always, this designer’s work is top class and ultra stylish. If you get the time, check out her Khadi Kool collection. I found this collection so fine and summery that just running my hands through each garment was akin to feeling the rush of a cool breeze along my finger tips.

If you had any doubts about khadi, here’s a short excerpt of an interview I had with her…

Can you tell us about how khadi has evolved over the years in general?

Deepika: From the roughly woven, slubbed khadi cotton that was woven as a symbol of protest by Gandhiji and freedom fighters of India during the Occupation years, today khadi can be found in finer avatars, in both cotton and silk. `The Indian linen,’ a finely woven khadi garment is a style statement. Khadi is perceived as much more than a fabric, it represents a way of life.

Why is it such a unique fabric?

Deepika: It is hand woven, using hand spun yarn. That makes it completely handmade….in India.

Tell us about how you made khadi ‘cool’. Do you see more and more young people wearing it?

Deepika: This collection is all about wearing Khadi the way it is: coarse, with missing weaves and slubs. Elements such as hardware zipper detailing, prints inspired by conversational art, artisanal kutch embroidery and lace cutouts make it trendy and atypical. Silhouettes such as the mul wrap trousers, the highwaisted pleated flared pants and the peplum top, knee-length dresses, all in pop colours, would definitely appeal to the young – at-heart.

What are the new styles you brought in this summer in your khadi line that are in line with the fashion trends today?

Girls, you know what BB creams are finally, but do you know what the CC cream is? Read on…

Looks like it’s time to bid goodbye to the multi-tasking BB cream (Blemish Balm) that had a triple effect — as moisturiser, serum and primer and say hello to the new CC cream. CC — which stands for Colour Correcting (or Colour Control), which is in many ways, one step ahead of the BB. Besides doing all that the BB does, it also corrects your complexion, by hiding your flaws and brightening your skin tone. It is supposed to be lighter than the BB and therefore far lighter than a regular foundation. It can supposedly all kinds of miracles for your face, like hiding your blemishes, making your face more luminescent, removing surface oils and correcting your colour related flaws instantly.

The bad news: it is not yet easily available here. Pick up one on your next trip abroad or get a friend or relative to send you one this season! But remember — you have to buy a CC cream in the right colour,preferably closest to your own skin tone.